Sport Itineraries: Pont-Saint-Martin

Take the first section of the regional road SR44 for Gressoney and after about 4 km. turn right and take the direction to Ivéry. Leave your car near the village and take the mule track in the small square with a fountain that goes into a solitary area of pastures and cliffs that converge in the Holay pond nature reserve. In this small wetland there are the common reed and the great bulrush; it is also the only spot known in the Aosta Valley to host the Isolepis setacea and the water purslane. Fauna: interesting, considered the small size of the reserve, the presence, unique in the Aosta Valley, of two rare specimens of amphibians, the dotted Triton and the crested Triton. After crossing the pond and then the road, opposite is the knoll with the ruins of Suzey Castle. Continue towards the locality called Fabiole.

From Piazza IV Novembre in Pont-Saint-Martin, cross the Lys and go up the mule track that bends to the left, passes under a portico and winds up slightly to the residential area with the antenna tower. When you get to the regional road of Gressoney valley and the itineraries just a few metres away towards the left, take the right-hand track that leads off the road that goes to the hamlet of Ivery. Stay on this track for just a few minutes. Get back onto the mule track, which breaks off to the left, then, take the old road to reach Ivery. Continue along the road and, after a left bend, continue along a flat section of the mule track which takes you to an aqueduct construction. The itinerary now continues upwards and leads to the plateau where the Holey pond natural reserve is located. Take the small road on the right near the houses, which leads to the paved road at the foot of the promontory on which can be found the remains of Suzey castle. Continue along the road towards the left until you come to a small group of houses, then take an farm track on the right, then leave it to take the path on the left which goes up to the ruins.

Start from the main square, Piazza IV Novembre, and after visiting the Museum of the Roman bridge (free entrance), go along the bridge and the historic centre until you take the road leading to Baraing Castle (which can only be visited externally - seat of the Mont Rose Mountain Community), continue for a stretch of paved road and take the mule track which leads in a few minutes in front of the Church of Fontaney. The path goes down to 1° Maggio Square and continues along Via Chanoux, the central street of the town. Along the way, you meet the parish church of Saint Laurence (the patron saint of the village) and then ‘L Castel (15th century fortified house of the lords of Pont-Saint-Martin), open to the public in the months of July and August. From here, along a small side street, you reach the new pedestrian bridge crossing the Lys and you arrive at the public gardens, where you can admire some monumental trees and make a relaxing stop in the green of the park, equipped with tables, fountains and public toilets: from here, in five minutes, you reach the main square again.

From the 1° Maggio Square take by car the road to Perloz, which leads to the Baraing Castle, and leave the car a couple of hairpin bends above the castle (Bousc Daré area). Alternatively, you can leave your car in the parking on 1° Maggio Square and take the walking path leading near the Baraing castle. From here take the path numbered 103 A (Chemin des Vignobles) and go all the way through the vineyards until you reach the village of Donnas and the Roman arch.

The mountainside is crossed by an evocative road that runs through the vineyards to the town of Donnas. During the route you can see the topie (pergolas) that support the vines and the barmets (cellars carved under a large boulder).

The itinerary largely follows the route of stage 3 (Fontainemore-Donnas) of the Cammino Balteo.

SAINT MARTIN AND THE COVENANT WITH THE DEVIL
That night the Lys river enlarged and carried away the fragile wooden bridge. And so Saint Martin of Tours, who had stopped in the town during a trip to Rome, gave proof of his famous cunning: He asked the Devil to build a new large bridge, promising in return the first soul to cross it. The Devil accepted, building the bridge in a single night and waited for his payment; but Saint Martin deceived him, having a dog cross the bridge. Since then the town was called Pont-Saint-Martin -- Saint Martin’s Bridge. So goes the legend. In reality, however, the famous roman bridge -- which you can admire from Piazza IV Novembre, starting point of this itinerary -- is a magnificent Roman testimonial: Built in the first century B.C., with a single span measuring 72 feet in height with 105 feet of rope, its arch is among the largest built by the Romans.

DONNAS, THE MOST ANCIENT WINE IN THE VALLEY
A motorcyclist with self-respect loves beer…but also wine. Therefore, just past Pont-Saint-Martin, keep an eye out for the sign for Donnas. This small district, at the foot of the vineyards that climb the mountain, gives its name to a famous wine. Brilliant red color, delicate flavour, lightly almond-flavored and slightly bitter, Donnas, besides being the oldest wine in the Aosta Valley, is also the first to have obtained, in 1971, the Protected Designation of Origin.

CHAMPORCHER VALLEY
The road climbs steeply through a valley of charming semi-wilderness, among dense larch forests. A route to enjoy stopping from time to time in some traditional villages, such as Pontboset with its famous stone bridges, or to pass through without stopping, concentrating on the hairpin turns up until Chardonney, the last district in the valley. And before returning don’t miss, in Chardonney, the permanent exhibition of hemp fabrics typical of the area.

THE “LARD” OF ARNAD
A recommendation for the connoisseur: past the Bard Fort and then make a stop at Arnad and request some of the famous lard. Spicy and flavored with mountain herbs, the “Lard d’Arnad” adds to any dish an authentic taste, the taste of the Aosta Valley. In 1996 it received the Protected Designation of Origin. Every year, on the last Sunday in August, the traditional “Féhta dou Lard” - Lard Festival - unfolds, which attracts thousands of tourists.

BRUSSON
The climb from Verrès, along the lower part of the Val d'Ayas, takes you to Challand-Saint-Victor where you can make a detour to Lake Villa, a nature reserve. Continuing further, you will pass Challand-Saint-Ansèlme, you will see the Graines castle, built in the 11th century on a rocky spur, and you will reach Brusson, at 1338 meters above sea level, where you can visit the Chamousira gold mines and the dairy  La Fromagerie Haut Val d'Ayas.
From Brusson starts the road that leads to Col di Joux, which connects the Val d'Ayas with Saint-Vincent.

SAINT-VINCENT
A charming scenic road descends from the 5,380 feet of Col di Joux to Saint-Vincent, exclusive town overlooking the central valley, known as the “Riviera of the Alps” for its special climatic conditions. The ideal location to spend a few days of vacation in absolute relaxation, but also just for a pleasant break before you get on the road to the bottom of the valley: It’s the right time for a pizza, an ice-cream, a stroll through the elegant streets of the center and – why not?- a short trip to the slot-machines at the famous Casino de La Vallée.

The first municipality in the Aosta Valley is Pont-Saint-Martin. After passing the municipalities of Donnas, the fort of Bard, Hône, Arnad, Verrès and Montjovet, the short climb of the "Mongiovetta" begins which takes you to Saint-Vincent and then to Châtillon. Then after crossing Chambave, Champagne (Verrayes) and Nus, you arrive at the gates of Aosta, where the state road becomes two lanes in each direction in the municipalities of Quart and Saint-Christophe (commercial area).

After a possible stop in Aosta, having passed the Aosta Valley capital (Corso Ivrea, Via Roma and Via Parigi with numerous roundabouts) and after the crossroads which leads to the Great Saint Bernard state road N. 27, the road 26 continues westwards and crosses Sarre (crossroads for Cogne), Saint-Pierre, Villeneuve (crossroads for Introd and the valleys of Rhêmes and Valsavarenche), Arvier, Léverogne (crossroads for Valgrisenche), passes near Derby (fraction of La Salle), crosses  La Salle and then Morgex until you reach Pré-Saint-Didier (crossroads for La Thuile and, in summer, for the Little Saint-Bernard pass). From here continue to Courmayeur.

To return you can opt for the transfer route along the A5 motorway, which crosses the entire central valley, from Courmayeur to Pont-Saint-Martin. You will find indicated all the toll booths and exits that you may need to reach the starting points of the motorbike itineraries or to return home at the end of your excursions.

WALSER TRADITIONS
Wide wooden balcony, large verge…and a lot of flowers, in the windows and on the balconies. If you see houses like these at the side of the road, you have entered Walser “territory”. But the structure of the habitations is not the only idiosyncrasy of the upper Gressoney Valley. There is also an unusual dialect, different from the patois used by most of the people in Aosta Valley: It is Titsch, a parlance of German roots. The population of Walser in fact originates from Valais, from which they migrated, between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, settling here and in the adjacent Ayas Valley. The first Walser village that you encounter upon climbing the the hollow is Issime, village of ancient origins.

THE SAVOY CASTLE
Two stops in Gressoney-Saint-Jean. The first is the Savoy Castle, which you can see in the pine forest on your left. Completed at the end of the 1800’s by Queen Margherita, passionate mountaineer, stands on a panoramic terrace where you can enjoy a splendid view of the entire valley all the way to the Lyskam glacier. The second stop can be made at Gover Lake for a relaxing walk.

MONTE ROSA
Continue towards Gressoney-La-Trinité through Walser villages, pastures and woods. Monte Rosa awaits you majestically at the end of the itinerary.

Among the recommended stops, don’t miss the Fénis castle: Conveniently park your bike and visit this splendid manor from the 14th - 15th century, extraordinary example of medieval Aosta Valley architecture.

And then onwards, to the Saint-Marcel valley. If you’ve ended up here totally relaxed, a spectacular road immersed in the woods awaits you, charming in summer and striking in autumn for the thousands of colors of nature, ending at the Plout sanctuary, at an altitude of 3,143 feet.
At this point, the choice is yours: You can stop at the sanctuary and enjoy the view that opens onto the central valley, or proceed further for about six miles to Les Druges, where the road ends in a large picnic area. From the car park a pleasant walk of about 20-30 minutes leads to the Servette mining site.

From Pont-Saint-Martin, after admiring its ancient Roman bridge, travel along the valley floor to Châtillon from where you will then climb along the Matterhorn Valley. At Antey-Saint-André you will find the crossroads for Torgnon. From Torgnon you will then pass the panoramic pass of San Pantaleone (Saint-Pantaléon) from which you can reach Verrayes by choosing between two different routes: passing through Lozon (nature reserve) or through Semon (municipality of Saint-Denis). From Verrayes you reach the valley floor again and arrive at Nus from which you climb towards Saint-Barthélemy where another exceptional panorama opens up. The route ends with the descent towards Nus.

TORGNON: RURAL ARCHITECTURE AND PANORAMA
Torgnon lies in the heart of those who visit it not only because of its privileged location, in the middle of the valley of the Matterhorn, at an altitude of 1489 m, but also for its numerous hamlets which retain their characteristic Alpine architecture. Among these the hamlets of Etirol and Triatel, whose buildings host the ethnographic museum Petit-Monde about the history of the area, its production cycle and its social organisation, stand out.
The view from the Saint-Pantaléon pass is definitely stunning and the gaze takes in the whole Valtournenche valley, encircled by the Grandes Murailles and the Matterhorn, and the Central Valley.

SAINT-BARTHELEMY, TO THE STARS
The Saint-Barthélemy Valley, initially tortuous and very steep, in the Lignan area at 1,633 meters above sea level, opens up into a vast plateau from which you can admire a splendid panorama. The astronomical observatory of Saint-Barthélemy, very important for scientific research, is one of the most suitable places for astronomical observations, thanks to favourable conditions, mainly due to low light pollution.
Excellent local wines are produced in the municipality of Nus: Nus Rouge and the aromatic Malvoisie, an enological preciousness produced from dried grapes.

MOTORCYCLE ITINERARY TO THE CASTLES OF THE LOWER AOSTA VALLEY

Riding the motorbike, start from Pont-Saint-Martin: the terraced vineyards accompany you up to Donnas.
You will then see the proud silhouette of the Bard fort stand out, an ancientbulwark of defense strategically located in the narrowest point of the central valley. Over the centuries it suffered numerous assaults, up until the decisive one by Napoleon's army, which besieged and destroyed it in 1800. It was rebuilt by the Savoys in 1827. The museums and important temporary exhibitions of the Fort are worth a stop.

Continuing on, after about ten kilometers (6 miles) you come across another imposing structure: the fifteenth-century Challand castle in Verrès open to visits.

And then, on the way back, don't miss the castle of Issogne, a magnificent  Renaissance manor.

A tasty stop is also possible in Arnad, home to the production of Lardo di Arnad P.O.D.  and in the wineries of Arnad and Donnas.